US airport security demands anger UK

John Prescott is involved in a row over US anti-terrorism plans to bring in security agents to check passengers at Heathrow and Gatwick on all transatlantic services run by British Airways and Virgin Airlines.

The US government wants to force all foreign airlines to have identical security programmes to US companies from autumn. The plans would allow the federal aviation administration (FAA) to impose "additional security on any airline at any time" running services to the US.

The scheme has led to vitriolic correspondence between the deputy prime minister and his US transport counterpart Rodney Slater. Mr Prescott has told him that the plans are "an infringement of UK sovereignty" and "fundamentally flawed and ultimately unworkable".

Mr Prescott's tough stance is revealed in a letter and minutes of a meeting with Mr Slater which have been released to the Guardian under the US freedom of information act. Under Jack Straw's current freedom of information bill Mr Prescott's letter would stay secret until 2030.

The changes would allow the FAA to amend every airlines' security programme to make it identical to US carriers. At a number of airports - including Heathrow and Gatwick - the US wants additional security. The plans also envisage airlines having to adopt US security procedures, accept US security personnel working in foreign airports, hire specialists and develop identical passenger automated screening programmes and explosive detection technology.

In a letter last May to Mr Slater, Mr Prescott demands the repeal of the proposals. "The es sential point, put plainly, is that the law is unacceptable to the UK government: it is an infringement of UK sovereignty and would cause severe economic consequences for the UK aviation industry.

"Perhaps these negative points could be in some way tenable if the law was to improve aviation security. In fact it is likely to have the opposite effect by leading to the imposition of inappropriate and inefficient techniques.

"This runs counter to the spirit of multilateralism which is the basis for international cooperation on aviation security. A separate concern is the damage this will do to future international cooperation against terrorism.You will know, as well as I, that in these volatile times this is not something we can afford."

He adds: "In our submission we urge the FAA to revert to congress to explain that this legislation is fundamentally flawed and ultimately unworkable.

"Whilst we are directing our concerns to Capitol Hill, the administration has an important role to play in preventing this ill-advised legislation from proceeding. I believe the only right course is for this to be repealed."

Britain is one of 87 countries and organisations objecting to the proposed changes mainly because an internal US paper shows that it is regarded as "an impermissible extraterritorial application of US law and it will cost far more than an original $826m (about £516m) to implement".

The US government is considering Mr Prescott's complaints and will make an announcement this autumn on whether it is to go ahead.

About this article

US airport security demands anger UK

This article was published on
the Guardian website
at 11.22 EST on Tuesday 14 March 2000.
It was last modified at 11.22 EDT on Wednesday 15 June 2005.
It was first published at 11.22 EDT on Wednesday 15 June 2005.